Visit Gateshead Places

Welcome to Visit Gateshead Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Gateshead

  

Gateshead Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Gateshead

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Gateshead history

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There has been a settlement on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne, around the old river crossing where the Swing Bridge now stands, since Roman times. The first recorded mention of Gateshead is in the writings of the Venerable Bede who referred to an Abbot of Gateshead called Utta in 623. In 1068 William the Conqueror defeated the forces of Edgar the Ætheling and Malcolm king of Scotland (Shakespeare’s Malcolm) on Gateshead Fell (now Low Fell and Sheriff Hill). During medieval times Gateshead was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Durham. At this time the area was largely forest with some agricultural land. The forest was the subject of Gateshead’s first charter, granted in the 12th century by Hugh du Puiset, Bishop of Durham. An alternative spelling may be “Gatishevede”, as seen in a legal record, dated 1430. The earliest recorded coal mining in the Gateshead area is dated to 1344. As trade on the Tyne prospered there were several attempts by the burghers of Newcastle to annex Gateshead. In 1576 a small group of Newcastle merchants acquired the ‘Grand Lease’ of the manors of Gateshead and Whickham. In the hundred years from 1574 coal shipments from Newcastle increased elevenfold while the population of Gateshead doubled to approximately 5,500. However, the lease and the abundant coal supplies ended in 1680. The pits were shallow as problems of ventilation and flooding defeated attempts to mine coal from the deeper seams. ‘William Cotesworth (1668-1726) was a prominent merchant based in Gateshead, where he was a leader in coal and international trade. Cotesworth began as the son of a yeoman and apprentice to a tallow – candler. He ended as an esquire, having been mayor, Justice of the Peace and sheriff of Northumberland. He collected tallow from all over England and sold it across the globe. He imported dyes from the Indies, as well as flax, wine, and grain. He sold tea, sugar, chocolate, and tobacco. He operated the largest coal mines in the area, and was a leading salt producer. As the government’s principal agent in the North country, he was in contact with leading ministers. William Hawks originally a blacksmith, started business in Gateshead in 1747, working with the iron brought to the Tyne as ballast by the Tyne colliers. Hawks and Co. eventually became one of the biggest iron businesses in the North, producing anchors, chains and so on to meet a growing demand. There was keen contemporary rivalry between ‘Hawks’ Blacks’ and ‘Crowley’s Crew’. The famous ‘Hawks’ men’ including Ned White, went on to be celebrated in Geordie song and story. Throughout the Industrial Revolution the population of Gateshead expanded rapidly; between 1801 and 1901 the increase was over 100,000. This expansion resulted in the spread southwards of the town. In 1854, a catastrophic explosion on the quayside destroyed most of Gateshead’s medieval heritage, and caused widespread damage on the Newcastle side of the river. Robert Stirling Newall took out a patent on the manufacture of wire ropes in 1840 and in partnership with Messrs. Liddell and Gordon, set up his headquarters at Gateshead. A worldwide industry of wire-drawing resulted. The submarine telegraph cable received its definitive form through Newall’s initiative, involving the use of gutta-percha surrounded by strong wires. The first successful Dover–Calais cable on 25 September 1851, was made in Newall’s works. In 1853, he invented the brake-drum and cone for laying cable in deep seas. Half of the first Atlantic cable was manufactured in Gateshead. Newall was interested in astronomy, and his giant 25-inch (640 mm) telescope was set up in the garden at Ferndene, his Gateshead residence, in 1871. In 1831 a locomotive works was established by the Newcastle and Darlington Railway, later part of the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway. In 1854 the works moved to the Greenesfield site and became the manufacturing headquarters of North Eastern Railway. In 1909, locomotive construction was moved to Darlington and the rest of the works were closed in 1932. Sir Joseph Swan lived at Underhill, Low Fell, Gateshead from 1869 to 1883, where his experiments led to the invention of the electric light bulb. The house was the first in the world to be wired for domestic electric light. In 1870, the Old Town Hall was built, designed by John Johnstone who also designed the previously-built Newcastle Town Hall. The ornamental clock in front of the old town hall was presented to Gateshead in 1892 by the mayor, Walter de Lancey Willson, on the occasion of him being elected for a third time. He was also one of the founders of Walter Willson’s, a chain of grocers in the North East and Cumbria. The old town hall also served as a magistrate’s court and one of Gateshead’s police stations. In 1835, Gateshead was established as a municipal borough and in 1889 it was made a county borough, independent from Durham County Council. In the same year, however, one of the largest employers, Hawks, Crawshay and Company, closed down and unemployment has since been a burden. Up to the Second World War there were repeated newspaper reports of the unemployed sending deputations to the council to provide work. The depression years of the 1920s and 1930s created even more joblessness and the Team Valley Trading Estate was built in the mid-1930s to alleviate the situation. In 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, the County Borough of Gateshead was merged with the urban districts of Felling, Whickham, Blaydon and Ryton and part of the rural district of Chester-le-Street to create the much larger Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. In the past decade, Gateshead Council has begun developing plans to regenerate the town, with the long-term aim of making Gateshead a city. The most extensive transformation thus far has occurred in the Quayside, with almost all the structures there being constructed or refurbished in this time. The town centre has also been redeveloped, with the £150m Trinity Square development opening in May 2013. The centre incorporates student accommodation, a cinema, health centre and stores. It was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup in September 2014. The cup was however awarded to another development which involved Tesco, Woolwich Central.

Gateshead toponymy

Gateshead is first mentioned in Latin translation in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People as ad caput caprae (“at the goat’s head”) A Brittonic predecessor, named with the element *gabro-, ‘goat’ (c.f. Welsh gafr), may underlie the name.

Gateshead geography / climate

The town of Gateshead is situated in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear. It is located on the southern bank of the River Tyne at a latitude of 54.57° N and a longitude of 1.35° W. The land rises 230 feet from Gateshead Quays to the town centre and continues rising to a height of 525 feet at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sheriff Hill.

Climate

Climate in this area has small differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round to meet the criterion for Oceanic climate, at least 30 mm per month . The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is “Cfb” (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate)

You can visit Gateshead places with Walkfo Gateshead to hear history at Gateshead’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Gateshead has 183 places to visit in our interactive Gateshead map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Gateshead, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Gateshead places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Gateshead & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 183 audio facts unique to Gateshead places in an interactive Gateshead map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Gateshead Places Map
183 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Gateshead historic spots	Gateshead tourist destinations	Gateshead plaques	Gateshead geographic features
Walkfo Gateshead tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Gateshead

  

Best Gateshead places to visit

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Gateshead has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Gateshead’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Gateshead’s information audio spots:

Milecastle 5 Milecastle 5 (Quarry House) was the first milecastle west of Pons Aelius fort of Hadrian’s Wall. No remains exist of the milecastle, though its supposed position is at the junction of the A186 Westgate road and the B1311 Corporation Street.

Hadrian’s Tower Hadrian’s Tower is a residential tower block in Newcastle upon Tyne. Located at 27 Rutherford Street, construction started in 2018 and was completed in September 2020.

Tyne and Wear Archives Tyne and Wear Archives preserve documents relating to the area from the 12th to the 21st century. It is based in the former headquarters of the Co-operative Wholesale Society.

St Andrew’s Church, Newcastle upon Tyne St Andrew’s Church, Newcastle upon Tyne is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England. The church is located in the city centre of Newcastle on the Tyne Peninsula.

Fenham Barracks Fenham Barracks is a military installation in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on Barrack Road, Newcastle, and is located in the centre of the city.

New Gate, Newcastle The New Gate of Newcastle upon Tyne was a city gate on the north stretch of Newcastle town wall, dating to the fourteenth century or before. It gave its name to Newgate Street, but was demolished in 1823.

Newcastle Arts Centre Newcastle Arts Centre is a fine and performing arts centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is located in the city centre of Newcastle, North East.

Old Eldon Square Old Eldon Square is a public square on Blackett Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as green space the square is the site of a war memorial and location for Remembrance Day commemoration.

Eldon Square bus station Eldon Square Bus Station is one of two bus stations serving Newcastle City Centre. The new glass-roofed bus station was built adjacent to the old bus station. It is located in the Haymarket area of the city centre, a short walk from Newcastle University. It offers a connection with services from Haymarket Bus Station and Haymarket Metro Station.

St John the Baptist Church, Newcastle upon Tyne St John’s Church is a 13th-century church on the corner of Grainger Street and Westgate Road in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, dedicated to St John the Baptist.

Visit Gateshead plaques